Carl B

Profile:

Law was not an obvious career path for me and when I started to consider it as a graduate in my mid-twenties, I was initially put off by the prospect of further study and training. I was also daunted by having to convince a law firm to take me on and sponsor my “conversion” (which makes the process sound like a religious undertaking when in actual fact, it is more a case of harnessing many of the skills you already have), competing against all those who had known from an early age it was their life’s calling to become a lawyer. Well I put those fears aside, and I went for it. Not chancing my arm in the vague hope that something would turn up but as with all sizeable challenges, breaking it down into a series of manageable steps that I could take in pursuit of my goal: initially finding out as much I could through online resources and campus presentations, then building experience through workshops and open days, before graduating to vacation schemes, interviews and assessment days.

Getting smarter about the opportunities and my personal proposition at each step of the way and building a CV which not only demonstrated that I knew what I was getting myself into but listed skills and experiences, which would help me to succeed as a lawyer.  With a fair amount of enthusiasm and some good fortune, a training offer eventually materialised.

I’ve gone on to have a thoroughly stimulating and rewarding career as a corporate lawyer, working for a number of the world’s leading law firms, advising on various high profile transactions and experiencing international and client secondments while climbing the ranks to partnership. I am now a Partner in Goodwin’s Private Equity group with a focus on mergers and acquisitions and other private capital investments. At no stage have I ever felt being “late” to the game has ever held me back and in many respects, I have been able to leverage my non-law experiences to cope with the demands of the profession. Indeed, law firms need this mixture of backgrounds to best serve their clients, bringing to bear different perspectives to find solutions to their toughest problems.

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